rebecca

Quelab is holding a fundraiser with Color Wheel Toys! Tuesday November 6 from 10 AM to 6 PM. Note this is at Color Wheel Toys (3418 Central SE), NOT at Quelab! Be sure to mention “Quelab” at the checkout counter (or print out a flyer and bring it with you to show when you checkout) and a portion of your purchase will benefit Quelab!

Personally I’m really excited for this fundraiser because I visited Color Wheel several times during their pop up shop last year. They specialize in “toys that require imagination” and I think it’s a store that many makers would enjoy. I found some great science and STEM/STEAM gifts for kids and adults on my list, plus some extra gifts that were just a dollar or two “in case”, and — let’s be honest here — some nifty stuff for myself too. I’d always wanted one of those marble run toys, and there’s a nice selection of glow in the dark stuff. I bought a pile of their combo pen/stylus/screwdriver/ruler/level things for myself and gifts too.

There’s one other thing I rather liked about this store that I didn’t even realize until I overheard another shopper talking with the owner. The toys aren’t divided up by gender, which is particularly nice if you are shopping for yourself — because why should I have to decide if I want girls LEGO or boys LEGO? At Color Wheel Toys there’s just one LEGO section AND it has a bulk bin where you can pick out exactly what you want.

While Color Wheel Toys will be open through the end of December, remember it’s ONLY on Tuesday November 6, 10am-6pm that you can help out Quelab while you shop — AND you need to mention Quelab at the checkout counter or show them a flyer. (Full page flyers here, 4 per page here — give some to friends!)

Quelab is a Nonprofit organization started as a entirely self-funded and membership-driven organization, staffed by a group of passionate volunteers who strongly believe that makerspaces can help make the world a better place. Quelab is a 501(c)3 non-profit that has been serving Albuquerque’s maker community since 2010 with a 11,000 square foot workshop. To find out more, visit quelab.net, email us at info@quelab.net, or call the Quelab message line at (505) 750-4522

Sunday October 7 is our once a month Hacknight! Starting at 5 pm is a social hour and potluck where you can get to know Quelab members, 6 pm a community planning meeting, and 7 pm we have Hacknight (our version of an “open house”) — come to any or all!

Our once a month Hacknight is a great place to learn more about Quelab. If you are thinking of joining Quelab, or just curious to find out more, this is the time to come and get a feel for our community of makers, tour our 11,000 square foot facility, check out the equipment in detail (everything from a wood shop to laser cutter to fiber arts to welding to darkroom to 3d printer, and too many more to list). A few members will be bringing some projects to check out and hands on maker stuff to share!

Those under 18 are welcome, but must be accompanied by an adult. Most of our equipment is “kid unfriendly” so plan to supervise any younger children closely, though we do sometimes have a child friendly activity or two.

Ready to join Quelab and can’t make Hacknight? Good news, attending Hacknight isn’t required to become a member, all you have to do is pay your membership fees and attend an orientation and you too can be a part of Quelab! Orientation is generally the second Sunday of the month, but often there are other orientation sessions as well — you do need to register in advance for orientation, do that here: https://quelab.net/membership/

If you can’t make this one, plan for next month — Quelab holds a Hacknight open house on the first Sunday of each month.

If YOU have an idea for something YOU are interested bringing to Hacknight — a presentation, a project, a maker activity to share — let us know!

Eric Lee was very much a core of our community at Quelab. Please join us as we remember him in a Celebration of Life on Tuesday May 29, 6 pm. Held at Quelab, 680 Haines Ave NW, Albuquerque. Everyone who knew and cared for Mr. Lee is welcome to attend and share their stories and memories.

It is with heavy hearts that we announce that a community member has left us. Eric Lee, a man of many talents, was found deceased in his home on Friday, May 11, 2018 after members of his community and coworkers became concerned for him.

Eric was a pillar of Quelab’s community. As a master machinist, he took the time to teach anyone who asked how to use the tools which he had mastered in a safe manner, displaying his care and meticulous nature and ingraining it in those he taught. Eric explored the world through intense, deep conversations with members of the community on every topic, from his expertise in physics to conversations about culture and politics. Eric was, and will forever be remembered as an essential member in the construction and development of Quelab’s dedicated community of makers, as a tireless and selfless teacher, collaborator, and sounding board for ideas. Eric ahbored the idea that a member of his community should pay for his knowledge, instead asking only to learn something new in return at some distant point in the future.

In his professional life, Eric had many accomplishments—too many to list without missing at least half—which benefitted the world. Eric in his work at Stanford University in California and later the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque has advanced the state of the art in multiple physics disciplines, been granted innumerable patents, and been on the edge of scientific advancement for many years. Without him, our understanding of dark matter, particle physics and various other disciplines may not be where they are today. Often lauded for his talents in many fields by his cohorts, the world owes a thank you to Eric for his many years of dedicated research, ingenuity and intense passion for his work.

In his personal life, he was an avid maker of many things. Any opportunity to design and engineer a project became a means to learn a new skill, refine one he had, or a chance to teach and collaborate with another member of his community. Eric found joy in sharing what he had made as well as encouraging others to learn, share, and explore through his many hours of time at Maker Faire, in the Quelab metal shop, and numerous events which hosted Quelab in some capacity. His enduring enthusiasm brought smiles and joy to others through his love of many topics and fields.

He will be missed, but his legacy will endure through his selfless volunteering and the passion that he encouraged us to all continue.

Come to our community meeting, potluck or both on Sunday November 6. Potluck at 4 PM, meeting at 5:05 PM. This is a great time to check out Quelab, come for the meeting, potluck, our hack night at 7 PM, or all three!

If you’d like to come visit, we are open to the public every Sunday and Tuesday from 7 pm to 10 pm, feel free to drop by! Tours start at 7:30 and 8:30

Upcoming and ongoing events:

CoderDojo — November 5th & 19th, December 3rd & 17 . CoderDojo meets in The Core on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month from 10am – Noon. It is open to any youth 7 – 17 that want to learn programming or get help with current projects in a social setting. It is ‘club based’ no class based so youth can come to any meeting. Any youth that are interested in coding are welcome to attend, but please bring a parent or guardian with you (they can learn with you if they wish).

Tabletop games — November 3rd & 17th; December 1st, 15th, 29th. 6pm every other Thursday, play card/board/tabletop games at Quelab! Members and non-members are welcome. Feel free to bring your own games, and there will be many games available as well.

Locksport meetup — Fri, December 23, 7pm – 11pm. Locksmith/lockpick and related security, NDE, and techniques. We will have some locks, and picks, but if you have some come bring your own. Free for Quelab members, $5 suggested donation for non-members.

And last but not least, every Tuesday and Sunday is hacknight at Quelab from 7pm to 10pm! Free for Quelab members, $5 suggested donation for non-members.

Going to TEDxABQ on Saturday September 17? So are we! Drop by the Quelab booth — outdoors on the Civic Plaza for the “audience engagement” session from 10 am to 1 pm, and indoors during the Speaker Sessions from 1 pm on. Learn more about our makerspace and how you can start making at Quelab!

We will have live demonstrations of a 3d printer, a wood lathe and a hand-made bowling lane. (I’m guessing the convention center isn’t going to let us take ALL of our fun toys inside, so arrive early if you’d like to see everything!) We will also be giving away some laser-cut gears (made on Quelab’s laser cutter — some of the gears are being cut by the laser head in the photo above), which are part of a geared back-scratcher (also a great fidget!) design that you can make yourself with the free design files at http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1766894. If you don’t have a 3d printer or laser cutter, or would like to learn how to use them, come visit us at Quelab and we can help you! Our open hacknights are every Sunday and Tuesday from 7-10 PM at Quelab, 680 Haines Ave NW, Albuquerque NM, 87102. Tours at 7:30 and 8:30.

Come to Quelab for our next community meeting and potluck on Sunday, May 1! Potluck at 4 PM, meeting at 5:05 PM.

All community meetings are open to members of the public. Please bring a potluck dish if you’d like to join us at 4 PM. You are welcome to stay for our hack night at 7 PM as well! We hope to see you there!

Agendas can be found on our wiki here. If you would like to add anything to the agenda please let an officer know.

Quelab is open to the public for hacknight every Sunday and Tuesday from 7 PM to 10 PM, this is a great time to check out Quelab, have a tour of the space, and meet some of the wonderful folks in our community of makers.

Come to Quelab for our next community meeting and potluck on Sunday, March 6! Potluck at 4 PM, meeting at 5:05 PM.

All community meetings are open to members of the public. Please bring a potluck dish if you’d like to join us at 4 PM. You are welcome to stay for our hack night at 7 PM as well! We hope to see you there!

The agenda can be found on our wiki here. If you would like to add anything to the agenda please let an officer know.

Upcoming and Ongoing Events:

Quelab is open to the public for hacknight every Sunday and Tuesday from 7 PM to 10 PM, this is a great time to check out Quelab, have a tour of the space, and meet some of the wonderful folks in our community of makers.

Locksport initial meetup on Friday, March 18, 7 PM – 9 PM. Open to any level of locksmith/pick tinkering, no experience required. If there is enough interest a Toool locksport chapter here is a possibility. Free for members, $5 donation requested for nonmembers.

Join us for Arduino Wednesday on March 9 and March 23, 6 PM. Come work on your Arduino projects at Quelab!

Tabletop Game Night happens at Quelab every second and fourth Thursday, 6 PM – 10 PM. Come on down March 10 or March 24 and try a new game or bring an old favorite. New players welcome!
New Mexico Radio collectors club meets at Quelab on Sun, March 13, 1 PM. Quelab members are welcome to sit in on the meeting at no charge. More info at http://www.newmexicoradiocollectorsclub.com/

See even more events on the Quelab calendar! Have a great March and thanks for supporting Quelab!

Quelab is holding our next community meeting and potluck on Sunday, February 7. Potluck at 4 PM, meeting at 5:05 PM.

The agenda is here. If you would like to add anything to the agenda please let an officer know.

All community meetings are open to members of the public. Please bring a potluck dish if you’d like to join us at 4 PM. You are welcome to stay for our hack night at 7 PM as well! We hope to see you there!

Upcoming and Ongoing Events:

Members be sure to vote in the Board of Directors elections, voting can be done either electronically or in person before 8 PM at the Election Night party, held Wed, February 17 at Tractor Brewing Wells Park. Nominations are accepted until February 12.

Quelab’s Basic Woodworking course is in progress. The current session is at full enrollment, and we will be offering this popular course again in the future.

Join us for Arduino Wednesday, Quelab’s Arduino Build Night. February sessions on the 10th and 24th, 6 PM.

Tabletop Game Night happens at Quelab every second and fourth Thursday, 6 PM – 10 PM. Come on down February 11 and 25 and try a new game or bring an old favorite.

There will be an offsite get together for “Women, Trans, Femme” makers on Sun, February 14, 11 AM, at The Distillery, 2921 Stanford Dr. NE, Albuquerque. If you are interested in attending, please rsvp to lissakgirlsntech AT gmail.com

You’re invited to our next community meeting and potluck on Sunday, December 6! Potluck at 4 PM, meeting at 5:05 PM.

This meeting includes our annual strategic planning session where you can share your ideas for next year! Please join us, we would love to hear your ideas. The focus of this meeting is what Quelab will be in 2016!

It’s your chance to share your plans for what you want to make for your personal projects in the next year as well as what you want to make for Quelab!

See an officer if you would like to add anything to the meeting agenda.

All community meetings are open to members of the public. Please bring a potluck dish. You are welcome to stay for our hack night at 7 PM as well! We hope to see you there!

Quelab is proud to announce that the IRS has approved 501(c)3 nonprofit status for us!

Quelab has been a New Mexico nonprofit, partnered with School Factory as our fiscal sponsor, for the last four years. We very much appreciate their ongoing support and assistance as we prepare for our transition to becoming our own 501(c)3 nonprofit. Having our own 501(c)3 means that we are now a federally tax-exempt non-profit on our own, and we are very excited about the new possibilities for Quelab!

We still have much to do as we prepare for this new phase of our growth, but we wanted to go ahead and share the news with all of our supporters so you can share the excitement with us! Thank you so much to all of our members, friends, event attendees, partner organizations, and YOU!